The One
by SaturnNights
Summary: It's a strange feeling when the person we least suspect is the one that can help us the most. For Mina in her times of doubt and worry, will turn to an unexpected source of comfort.
1. Sensitivity

**Hello, everyone. I just wanted to thank you for checking out my story, it's the first that I've done for My Hero Academia and I hope you like it.**

_Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia or any of the characters._

* * *

Midoriya struggled to fall asleep that night in the dorms, despite being sure that his intense training would tire his body out.

Midoriya groaned in frustration, planting his face into the pillow to try and drift off to sleep.

Still wide awake, he continuously mumbled about how his lack of sleep would impact his performance in the following days, as well as his classwork.

"Quiet, Deku!" Bakugo shouted.

Midoriya quickly went silent, slightly blushing from the embarrassment of having been heard.

"I have to get that under control." Midoriya whispered.

Midoriya sighed, slowly getting out of his bed.

"Maybe a full stomach will help." Midoriya whispered.

As Midoriya walked out of his room, he shivered from the cold temperature, suddenly remembering that the heater was still out of order.

"I hope Asui is okay." Midoriya whispered, in concern over his classmate.

Unknown to Midoriya, Tsuyu was in her room, covered from head to toe in order to keep warm.

"I told you to call me, Tsu." Tsuyu faintly said, in her sleep.

Midoriya made his way down to the bottom floor and headed for the kitchen.

To his surprise, he could see someone already there, rummaging through the fridge as the light slightly illuminated the area.

"Hello?" Midoriya called out to them.

The person quickly jolted up in surprise, hitting her head on the top shelf of the fridge.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." Midoriya apologized.

The girl winced in pain, rubbing the back of her head out of reflex.

"It's alright." She said.

Midoriya recognized that voice immediately.

"Ashido?" Midoriya said.

The girl in question turned around to look at him, showing a trademark smirk.

"Hi, Midori." Mina whispered.

Mina opened up the bottle in her hand and took a sip before looking at him again.

"I didn't take you for a night person." Mina said.

"I'm not actually, I just couldn't get any sleep." Midoriya said, nervously.

"I know what you mean, this new dorm is cool and all, but I do kind of miss sleeping at home." Mina admitted.

Midoriya knew that feeling but after the various incidents and conflicts they had been through basically back to back, the dorm almost seemed ideal to him as he knew it was for the best.

"The heater being broken doesn't exactly help either." Mina whispered, with a chuckle.

"Yeah." Midoriya said, simply.

"It kind of makes me wish I had Todoroki's quirk." Midoriya half joked.

Midoriya mentally cringed, disliking his terrible sense of humor.

"I know, right?" Mina agreed.

_"Well, that could've gone worse." Midoriya thought, in relief._

Midoriya, realizing that the fridge was still open, quickly grabbed some leftover dessert and shut it.

_"I'll probably have to run this off later, but it's worth it." Midoriya thought._

"Cake for a midnight snack?" Mina asked, in amusement.

"You'd better be careful or you'll lose that perfect figure of yours." Mina teased him.

Midoriya blushed in embarrassed from Mina's remark.

"Perfect?" Midoriya uttered.

Mina held back her giggling and placed her arm around him, leaving her hand on his shoulder.

"I'm just messing with you, trust me, I know you train harder than anyone else here." Mina said.

_"That doesn't take back the perfect remark though." Midoriya thought._

"I wouldn't say that, everyone here gives it their all." Midoriya said.

"True, but for some reason with you, it feels like every time you're out there in a battle, you immediately go above and beyond." Mina said.

"All of us are striving to be plus ultra, but you… you already are." Mina told him.

Midoriya hid his eyes behind his hair, not daring to look Mina in the eye as she praised him, as he couldn't even begin to find the words to respond.

"Not that I don't enjoy seeing you embarrassed, but I think I'm gonna turn in for the night." Mina said.

As Mina yawned and was making her way towards the elevator, she stopped, turned around and grinned as she wanted to get one more reaction out of him.

Mina stepped towards him and quickly kissed him on the cheek, causing Midoriya to freeze up in shock.

"You had a little bit of cake frosting on your cheek and I couldn't resist, that cake is just too sweet." Mina said, with a teasing tone in her voice.

Midoriya still just stood there, not even mumbling incoherently like usual.

"Maybe you wish it was Ochaco who did it?" Mina questioned, with a smirk.

Still no reaction.

"Anyone in there?" Mina asked, as she waved her hand in front of Midoriya's face.

_"I think I broke him." Mina thought._

Mina heard rustling from outside, realizing that she should be in bed, she made a dash for the elevator.

_"I'm sure he'll be alright." Mina thought._

As the door to the dorms opened, in walked Aizawa, checking on reports of a commotion he had received.

Aizawa sighed in annoyance as he saw Midoriya standing in the middle of the kitchen.

"Midoriya, it's late and you've clearly caused a disturbance for others, I advise you to return to your room immediately." Aizawa sternly told him.

Midoriya remained unfazed, still not moving an inch.

"Midoriya?" Aizawa said.

Walking around him, Aizawa saw the shocked expression frozen on Midoriya's face.

Aizawa looked at him in confusion before analyzing the room.

"No signs of intruders and it doesn't seem to be the effect of a quirk." Aizawa said.

Aizawa sighed once more.

_"I'll call Midnight up to put him to sleep, maybe that will snap him out of it." Aizawa thought._

With that the dorm doors closed once more, leaving a shocked Midoriya standing there, finally uttering one word.

"Mina." Midoriya whispered.


	2. This Time

**Welcome back, everyone. Thank you to everyone who showed their support and I can't wait for you to see what happens next.**

_Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia or any of the characters._

* * *

Midoriya awoke with a gasp, trying to catch his breath.

It took a moment, but eventually he calmed down and took in his surroundings.

He was in his room, the light of day just barely shining the openings of the curtains.

Midoriya almost panicked, rapidly looking at the time.

"I… missed… a day." Midoriya uttered out.

_"Mr. Aizawa is going to end me!" Midoriya thought._

"What happened?" Midoriya questioned.

The memories of the previous night started to come back to him, some with vivid detail that caused him to blush.

"Mina." He whispered, again.

Lifting the covers off of him, he made his way downstairs, seeing that everyone was present.

"Hey, look who's finally awake." Kaminari quipped.

"He looks fine to me, no broken arms this time." Momo said.

"Broken arms?" Midoriya questioned.

"When Mr. Aizawa told us that you were incapacitated, we all thought that you had hurt yourself again." Tsuyu told him.

Midoriya nervously chuckled and played it off.

"Oh, nothing like that, speaking of which, I've got to go talk to Mr. Aizawa." Midoriya told them.

With that, Midoriya took off running, not noticing that another girl was about to try and talk to him.

_"I didn't get a chance to apologize for last night." Mina thought._

"Mina, are you okay?" Ochaco asked.

Mina noticed she had slipped up and instantly put on a smile.

"Yeah, never better." Mina said.

_"I'll just tell him later." Mina thought._

* * *

**Meanwhile.**

Midoriya ran from the dorms over to the school, hoping that Aizawa was still there.

To his luck, Aizawa was at his desk, going over some paperwork.

"You finally decided to show up to my class." Aizawa said.

Midoriya apologized repeatedly until he saw the angered look in his eyes.

Now silent, Aizawa assured Midoriya that he understood the circumstances.

_"How did I become frozen?" Midoriya thought, not putting two and two together._

"Midnight was the one who put you to sleep and returned you to your room, it's a long shot, but she might be able to help you." Aizawa informed him.

"Thank you, sir." Midoriya said.

As Midoriya was about to leave, Aizawa spoke up.

"This was only a warning, the next time that this happens, I won't show any leniency unless there is an actual threat involved." Aizawa warned him.

"I understand." Midoriya said.

With that, Midoriya was off to find Midnight.

* * *

**Later.**

Midoriya sighed at the circumstances.

Midoriya had asked where Midnight was and to his dismay, Midnight was doing an interview.

He would only have to wait until tomorrow but it still bothered him a bit.

As he walked back to the dorms, he thought about what had happened that night.

_"It doesn't make any sense, there weren't any intruders last night and Mina was there, but I wasn't that nervous." Midoriya thought, clearly in denial._

Midoriya walked through the front doors, immediately being greeted by Mina herself.

"Hi, Midori!" Mina shouted, excitedly.

"Hi." Midoriya whimpered.

_"So close." Midoriya thought, as he stared at Mina who was too close for comfort, at least to him._

"So, listen… about last night." Mina started.

This one statement caught everyone else's attention.

"Wait, what happened last night?" Kirishima asked.

Mina felt bad for a moment, forgetting that they still had an audience.

Mina then smirked as she got an idea.

_"I can apologize in private later, but for now, I may as well have a little fun." Mina thought._

"Oh, Midori and I just had a little encounter last night." Mina said.

Mina then wrapped her arms around him, kissing him on the cheek again and then put her head on his shoulder.

"I knew it, I knew Midoriya was secretly a player!" Mineta screamed out, as he ran towards them.

Sero quickly used his tape on Mineta, before looking up at Midoriya and smirking.

"Midoriya, for shame though, what about that girl from Shiketsu, this'll break her heart, is one not enough for you?" Sero questioned, clearly just messing with him.

"What girl from Shiketsu?" Mina asked, as she looked him curiously.

"Don't forget that girl from the expo as well." Kaminari pointed out.

Midoriya immediately ran out of the room, holding onto Mina's hand as he took him with her.

"Well, it looks like Midoriya is in hot water now." Kaminari commented.

"Not likely." Todoroki countered.

While the rest of the students were discussing what they had just witnessed between Midoriya and Mina, Midoriya had returned to his room, clearly not thinking things through as he had brought Mina with him.

"Any particular reason you dragged me up here?" Mina asked.

"Yeah, I kind of just panicked." Midoriya admitted.

Mina held back a laugh as she sat on the bed next to Midoriya.

"I want to apologize, for last night and today, I shouldn't have teased you like that and make everyone get the wrong idea." Mina apologized.

Midoriya wanted to say that it was alright, but couldn't bring himself to do so, since he was still confused about the whole thing.

"Still, there is one thing now that interests me." Mina said.

"What's that?" Midoriya asked.

Mina smirked with delight as upon hearing Sero and Kaminari's hints at Midoriya's love life earlier, gave her a new interest in Midoriya.

"Who exactly were those girls that they mentioned earlier?" Mina asked.

Midoriya blushed, remembering both of his ordeals during the expo and the licensing exam.

"They're long stories." Midoriya said.

"I've got time." Mina said, with a smile.

* * *

**Meanwhile, with Midnight.**

Midnight slumped down onto a chair as she made her way into the academy building.

Aizawa looked at her, noticing her disheveled appearance.

"What happened to you?" Aizawa asked.

"Mt. Lady crashed my interview." Midnight told him, with anger in her tone.

"Oh." Aizawa said.

Midnight glared at him, fully expecting his lack of concern, but still not appreciating it.

"By the way, Midoriya was looking for you, earlier today." Aizawa told her.

_"What would Midoriya want with me?" Midnight wondered._


	3. Words of Wisdom

_Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia or any of the characters._

* * *

As Mina listened on with intense interest, her respect for Midoriya grew even further.

She hadn't doubted him when Midoriya had said that they were long stories, but she hadn't been expecting what were basically life or death situations, especially the way Sero and Kaminari had phrased it.

"That pretty much sums up what happened." Midoriya concluded.

Mina didn't know how to react for a moment, only mentally sighing while showing no expression on her face whatsoever.

_"Did I say something wrong?" Midoriya wondered._

Mina moved closer towards him, leaning her head on his shoulder and resting her hand on his chest.

"Do you ever wonder why it's us?" Mina asked.

Midoriya looked down at her, noticing the sadness present in her eyes.

"What do you mean?" Midoriya asked.

"The villain attacks at the training facility and at camp." Mina said.

"Your experience on the island, All Might basically losing his powers." Mina continued on.

"Why is it always us?" Mina asked.

"Why our class?!" Mina questioned, her tone growing more hectic and panicked.

"Why of all times did these things happen now?!" Mina shouted, looking up at Midoriya, with tears in her eyes.

Midoriya wanted to answer, but in truth, there was none.

It all came down to matters of circumstance and what was going on around them at the time, it wasn't their fault.

Mina calmed down a bit and wiped the tears away from her eyes.

"I know, I sound so selfish right now, not very heroic." Mina said.

Midoriya looked at her and to her surprise, he wrapped his arm around her.

Mina looked at him, surprised to see no signs of panic or even a blush.

Instead, he just looked at her, with the same serious look she had seen only a few times before.

"No, it doesn't sound heroic… it sounds normal." Midoriya said.

Mina was taken aback by his sudden statement.

"We may not have much of a right to complain about the situations we've been in, but we always have the right to question why, even if there is no answer." Midoriya told her.

"I don't think you're selfish, it has been a lot to take in, especially in such a short amount of time." Midoriya said.

"We've been through ordeals other students couldn't even dream of and maybe even some pros." Midoriya said.

Midoriya placed his other hand atop hers, which was still rested against him.

"That just means we're stronger than we believe, that we've proven ourselves time and time again and deserve to be heroes, all of us." Midoriya told her.

Something about his words and the way he spoke had struck a chord with Mina.

While she was still anxious, it was almost like a part of her had been put at ease, like she had been in danger and her hero had shown up to her rescue.

Mina rested her head on his shoulder once more, finding it peaceful.

"Thank you." Mina whispered.

"Any time." Midoriya whispered, with a smile.

After a few more minutes of being comforted, Mina reluctantly left Midoriya's room to return to the main room.

As she stepped outside, she was surprised to find Midnight standing there, with a grin on her face.

"That was an impressive speech." Midnight said.

"I'm surprised, I didn't expect Midoriya to be so bold with you." Midnight told her.

"Neither did I." Mina said.

As Mina walked passed Midnight, Midnight got an idea in her mind.

_"Note to self, question the seriousness of their relationship." Midnight mentally noted._

Midnight knocked on Midoriya's door out of courtesy.

"Come in, it's open." Midoriya said.

As Midnight walked in, she saw Midoriya standing there, still smiling.

"I was told that you wanted to see me." Midnight said.

"Yeah, Mr. Aizawa told me that you were the one who put me to sleep last night after I froze, I was just wondering if you could tell me what happened or at least what it could have been that caused it." Midoriya told her.

"Unfortunately I have no idea, he told me that there wasn't an intruder and no quirk had been used on you, so I was at a loss." Midnight told him.

Midoriya sighed and apologized for wasting her time.

Midnight didn't want to leave things like this, so she pressed the matter further.

"Maybe there's something you can tell me then." Midnight said.

"What do you mean?" Midoriya asked.

"I mean, you were there, we weren't, can you tell me what happened before you froze up?" Midnight asked.

"Well, I couldn't sleep, so I went down to get a snack." Midoriya said.

"After I got down there, Mina was there too." Midoriya continued.

_"Mina… I wonder." Midnight thought._

After that we just started talking about how the heater is still busted.

_"I knew I should've brought that up in our last meeting!" Midnight mentally scolded herself._

"We kept talking until she had to go back to her room, but before she left she… ." Midoriya trailed off.

"What did she do?" Midnight asked.

"She kissed me." Midoriya told her.

Midnight was surprised by this sudden revelation.

_"Wow, forget Midoriya being bold, Ashido is already making her move." Midnight thought._

"It was just on the cheek, she told me that I still had frosting on it but I knew she was just teasing." Midoriya said.

"Well then, it's clear to me that you were just overwhelmed by her sudden display of affection, nothing to get worked up about, it happens, not as embarrassingly but it does happen." Midnight assured him.

Midoriya didn't say a word, going over it in his mind.

Midnight just smirked and slightly laughed.

_"Young love, so oblivious yet so pure." Midnight thought._

"I'm glad we had this conversation, keep me informed on your progress with Ashido." Midnight told him.

Midoriya snapped out of it and thanked her.

Midoriya opened the door for her and as she left, Midoriya was met with the glances of Sero, Kaminari and Mineta.

"What?" Midoriya asked.

"How many women do you need?!" Sero shouted.

Midoriya's nervous nature returned, immediately blushing at the accusation.

"No, it's not what it looks like!" Midoriya shouted.


	4. Meddling

**To everyone out there who has shown their love for this story, I can't thank you enough, it is always a highlight and it makes everything all the better. Thank you so much and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

_Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia or any of the characters._

* * *

To say that Kaminari, Mineta and Sero had learned their lesson would be an understatement.

After Jiro had used her quirk to deal with them, things seemed to calm down a bit.

"That was more brutal than usual." Kaminari said, as he winced in pain.

"That's what you get for eavesdropping." Jiro said.

"You're one to talk." Mineta commented.

"Sorry about what happened, Midoriya, we were all curious as to why Midnight was looking for you, though some us decided to take it too far." Jiro told him, glaring at the other three guys towards the end of her statement.

Midoriya was about to tell them, but realized what the subject would lead to.

_"If I tell them why Midnight was here, they'll know about what happened with Mina." Midoriya thought._

_"Granted they kind of already do, but they clearly just figured that it was Mina teasing me." Midoriya thought._

"Actually, do you all mind if I keep this to myself?" Midoriya asked.

The four of them were surprised by his question, not expecting Midoriya of all people to keep a secret, especially with all of his mumbling.

"Dude, you're like an open book, what happened?" Sero asked.

"I knew it, something did happen with Midnight!" Mineta shouted.

"No, it didn't, can't you just leave it alone?" Midoriya asked.

The four of them looked at each other, surprised by Midoriya's sudden secrecy.

_"I've seen him get nervous, but never like this." Jiro thought._

"Sorry." Midoriya said.

Midoriya cleared his throat, trying not to let his usual amount of tears fall as he attempted to control his voice and looked at them apologetically.

As Midoriya closed the door, everyone else approached the hall.

"What's going on?" Mina asked.

"We heard shouting, is everything okay?" Tsuyu asked.

"I'm… not sure." Jiro said.

* * *

**A few days later.**

On the surface, nothing seemed to had change.

Midoriya had still kept up his usual demeanor and had conversations with everyone, tripping over his words as usual.

Despite this, Mina and the other girls knew something was up, especially after what Jiro told them had happened.

"To be fair to Midoriya, everyone is entitled to some form of privacy in one way or another." Momo said.

"True, but it's clear that Deku is upset about something." Ochaco said.

"Midoriya has said before that meddling when you don't need to is the essence of being a hero." Mina pointed out.

"We are all trying to be heroes, aren't we?" Mina asked.

They all looked at each other and nodded in agreement.

With that, Mina got an idea.

"Toru, are you up for a little stealth mission?" Mina asked.

* * *

**That night.**

Midoriya was heading out to what would basically be a counseling meeting with Midnight.

After meeting with Aizawa and explaining the situation, while avoiding the subject of Mina, he received permission to leave passed curfew.

Unknown to him, a certain invisible girl was following him.

_"Alright, it's time to see what you're up to, Midoriya." Toru thought._

Following him closely, she narrowly avoided making a sound as she entered Midnight's office.

"Please, have a seat." Midnight said.

Midoriya sat down in the chair that was stood across from her desk, looking at her, face to face.

"I take it that you wanted to talk about what happened between you and Mina again." Midnight said.

_"Mina?" Toru thought._

"Sort of." Midoriya said.

Midoriya went on to explain what had happened in the hallway after she had left.

"I see." Midnight responded.

Midnight looked at Midoriya for a moment before sighing.

"Let me guess, you feel bad for keeping things from them, you feel that as their classmate and their friend that you owe them the truth, am I correct?" Midnight questioned him.

"Yeah." Midoriya said.

"However, you also feel that as a person, you feel like there are some issues you wish to deal with on your own and keep to yourself and that they should respect that, am I also correct in this assumption?" Midnight questioned him.

"Yes." Midoriya responded.

Midoriya looked at her, his curiosity growing.

"How do you know all of this?" Midoriya asked.

"I've seen it all before, countless times." Midnight said, with a smirk.

"A personal life is a difficult thing to handle, especially in our line of work and it's only going to get harder if you really are striving to reach the top." Midnight told him.

Midnight walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder to comfort him.

"There's a multitude of ways to handle this situation, more than I can count, but I know you'll make the right one." Midnight assured him.

"When faced with peril, your legs moved on their own, that was the sign of being a true hero, right?" Midnight asked.

"Yes." Midoriya answered.

"Well then, allow me to give you a piece of advice, let that instinct help you with this situation as well." Midnight told him.

Meanwhile, as the two talked a little more, Toru carefully made her way out of the office, making sure that they didn't notice the door opening and shutting.

_"Mina, you've got some explaining to do." Toru thought._


	5. Effort

**Happy holidays, everyone. I hope you all have an amazing day.**

_Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia or any of the characters._

* * *

Toru had made her way back to the dorms, surprised to see Izuku right behind her since he had stayed back at Midnight's office for awhile.

_"Wait, is he running?" Toru wondered._

She was correct, as Izuku ran by her in an instant, with a look of determination on his face.

_"Now what's happening?" Toru wondered._

As Midoriya ran through the front doors, possibly waking everyone up but not caring either way, he eventually found himself in front of Mina's room.

He found it funny how he could use all of that power for his speed and then suddenly stop in his tracks because he couldn't knock on the door.

_"It's just Mina, I've talked to her before, I've even talked to her alone before, I can do this." Midoriya tried to assure himself._

_"Midnight said to use my instinct and it's telling me I have to do this." Midoriya thought._

Midoriya knocked on the door and it opened a few seconds later, revealing Mina.

"Midoriya?" Mina asked, clearly still half asleep.

"Hi, sorry to wake you up, I was just wondering if you wanted to hang out tomorrow?" Midoriya asked.

"Oh, are we going out as a class again?" Mina asked, while yawning and rubbing her eyes.

"No, I meant just the two of us." Midoriya said.

Mina leaned her head against the door, her eyes still shut.

"Sure." Mina said.

"Great, I'll see you later then." Midoriya said.

"Goodnight." Midoriya said.

As Midoriya left, Mina shut the door and made her way back to bed.

As Mina covered herself to keep from getting cold, she was slowly drifting back to sleep.

That was until the realization set in.

Mina's eyes instantly opened wide.

_"Did Midoriya just ask me out on a date?!" Mina thought._

Not even two seconds passed before her door bursted open.

"Did Midoriya just ask you on a date?!" Toru questioned, a little too loudly.

"Hey, people are still trying to sleep!" Bakugo shouted.

Mina and Toru flinched from the sudden outburst.

"You've got some explaining to do." Toru whispered.

"I'll tell you all about it, tomorrow." Mina whispered.

* * *

**The next day.**

Mina had hoped that her conversation would be between just her and Toru, but of course, Toru had practically told everyone in the class about what had happened last night, minus a few details from Midnight's session, those would be between her and Mina.

"So, Deku really asked you out?" Ochaco asked.

"To be fair, he just said that he wanted to hang out." Mina told them.

"Yeah, but it's Midoriya, he's so awkward around girls I'm surprised he even got a word out, not to mention that he said that he just wants it to be the two of you alone." Jiro pointed out.

"It seems Midoriya is growing more confident, but the real question is, how do you feel about it, Mina?" Momo asked.

Mina thought about it for a moment, remembering her encounters with Midoriya, especially her most recent ones.

_"He knows just what to say and do, even if he is a little too shy and awkward." Mina thought._

"I'm kind of happy that he asked, but, I'm just not sure I like him in that way or if it's just a crush from my deep admiration." Mina confessed.

"Well, Midoriya did decide to take a chance on it, maybe you should too." Toru told her.

"Yeah, though now I'm curious, if this is a date, where do you think he would take me?" Mina asked.

"It is interesting, aside from his love of heroes, I'm not sure any of us know that much about Midoriya." Momo pointed out.

_"This date should fix that, at least a little." Mina thought._

"I guess it makes sense why he was so secretive last night though, I mean like you said, he's probably never had another interest aside from heroes and now all of a sudden he's got something else to focus on that he's never had to deal with before." Jiro said.

"Yeah, still, I never expected him to fall for you, Mina." Tsuyu said.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Mina asked, feeling a little insulted.

"Oh, that was nothing against you, I just didn't expect him to be so bold." Tsuyu explained.

As the girls continued to talk, the guys were just as interested in the topic as they were.

Well, most of them, Bakugo and Todoroki couldn't care less.

"I knew it, I knew something was going on with Midoriya." Mineta said.

"While I don't approve of his methods, I'm relieved that Midoriya has started to come out of his shell." Iida said.

"For him, it probably took a lot of courage to ask her out." Kirishima said.

As everyone was talking, Midoriya made his way into the room, gaining everyone's attention.

All eyes were on him, which caused him to nervously smile.

Mineta immediately approached him, only for Midoriya to step out of the way.

"Midoriya, is it true that you have a date with Ashido?!" Mineta questioned.

Everyone looked at him, in anticipation for his answer.

Midoriya weighed his options.

He could act oblivious and just say they were going out as friends or he could just own up to it.

Midoriya smirked and leaned down to look Mineta in the face.

"Yes, is that a problem?" Midoriya asked.

Everyone looked surprised, Mineta squirming away a short distance.

"Nope, not at all, we were just wondering!" Mineta exclaimed.

_"I can't believe that worked." Midoriya thought._

Midoriya had managed to keep his composure despite the amount of attention he was getting.

Midoriya turned to look at Mina, his smirk turning into a full on smile.

"Are you ready to go?" Midoriya asked.

Mina looked at him, surprised that they would be going out this early.

"Sure." Mina said.

* * *

**A few minutes later.**

Mina was curious as to why Midoriya stopped near the front gate of the academy.

"Midoriya… what are we doing out here?" Mina asked.

Mina would receive her answer in the for of a snowball, launched right at her.

"What was that for?" Mina asked.

Midoriya smiled at her, tossing a snowball up and down in his hand.

"You need some more target practice so… snowball fight!" Midoriya shouted.

As Midoriya threw another snowball, Mina threw her acid, melting it in the air.

"Oh, you're on!" Mina said, excitedly.


	6. Prelude to Something More

_Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia or any of the characters._

* * *

Mina ran her fingers through her hair to wipe away the snow.

After the impromptu training session, Mina smiled, clearly having enjoyed herself.

Of course, Midoriya hadn't just had her do target practice and sure enough, they had arrived at their destination.

Mina looked on in admiration of the sight before her eyes.

As the snow continued to fall, blanketing the garden, Mina was tempted to rush over to the pond which was now frozen over and skate to her heart's content.

"The ice is too thin, sorry about that." Midoriya apologized.

"It's alright, I don't mind going for a swim." Mina said, with a smirk.

Mina ran forward, sliding across the ice as gracefully as she could.

_"I was hoping you would say that." Midoriya thought._

* * *

**Meanwhile.**

Midnight's curiosity had gotten the better of her, as she was determined find out about the progress Midoriya was making with Ashido.

"I still think you should mind your own business, you're their mentor not their friend." Aizawa stated.

"True, I am their mentor and Midoriya came to me for my guidance, it's only fit that I see this through." Midnight said.

Aizawa rolled his eyes, clearly not convinced by the excuse she was giving him.

"So what are you going to do, follow them around?" Aizawa questioned.

"No that would be incredibly unprofessional." Midnight said.

"I'm just going to go talk to the girls at the dorms and gossip about them behind their backs." Midnight said.

Aizawa didn't even speak, leaving the same expression on his face as he crawled into his sleeping bag.

_"Why do I even bother?" Aizawa thought._

* * *

**Later.**

Midnight showed up at the dorms and requested an audience with the rest of the girls who were present.

"So, what's this all about?" Tsuyu asked.

"Not much, I just felt that as your instructor it is part of my duty to keep you informed about your peers." Midnight told them.

"To those of you who may be unaware, Midoriya and Ashido have become more involved in each other's lives recently." Midnight said, trying her hardest to word her sentences as professionally and dignified as she could.

"That's one way of putting it." Toru commented.

No one could see it but pretty much everyone knew that the invisible girl was smirking with delight.

"That being said, they have confided in each other as well as with me, so, to those of you who have any questions, I will answer them and hopefully it will help me in helping them." Midnight said.

Everyone remained quiet for a moment before Toru spoke up.

"Midnight, I have to confess something." Toru said.

"What is it, Hagakure?" Midnight asked.

"The other night when Midoriya had that session with you, I kind of eavesdropped on the conversation." Toru admitted.

Midnight was taken aback by this revelation and sighed.

_"Note to self, lock the door next time." Midnight thought._

"Then I take it that you all know everything already?" Midnight questioned.

Everyone nodded, much to Midnight's disappointment.

_"Well there goes that." Midnight thought._

"Well then, I only hope you can help both Midoriya and Ashido overcome their difficulties." Midnight said.

"Speaking of which, where are they?" Midnight asked.

"They're out on their date." Jiro said.

_"Wait, what?" Midnight thought._

* * *

**A few hours later.**

Midoriya and Ashido were making their way back.

"Do you think that they'll interrogate us once we get back to the dorms?" Midoriya asked.

"No doubt." Mina answered.

Midoriya sighed, fully expecting this but somehow laughing about it right after.

"What's so funny?" Mina asked.

"I just realized, if I was going out with anyone else, you'd be leading the charge in finding out everything." Midoriya pointed out.

"Well excuse me for having a weakness for romance." Mina said, with a smile.

"I never said it was a bad thing and besides that, I'm kind of glad that I'm here with you." Midoriya admitted.

Mina slightly blushed from hearing his compliment, still not quite used to his honesty.

"That's so sweet." Toru said.

Midoriya and Mina both flinched from the invisible girl's sudden presence.

"Quick, Midoriya, go in for the kiss." Midnight exclaimed.

Mina and Midoriya turned to see their friends, hiding in the bushes.

"Were you watching us this whole time?!" Mina questioned.

"No, we just saw the two of you coming from across the street and we figured we should observe this for… research purposes." Momo told her, attempting to excuse their behavior.

Mina glared at her friends and Midnight, forming acid in the palms of her hands.

"We should run." Tsuyu said.

"Agreed." The rest of the girls said, simultaneously.

As the girls ran off, with an angry Mina following them, Midoriya stood there with a smile on his face.

"I guess we can finish our talk later." Midoriya said.


	7. Stay With Me

**I think it's time for something a bit more down to earth.**

_Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia or any of the characters._

* * *

As it grew dark and everyone turned in for the night, Mina had agreed to meet with Izuku in order to finish their conversation.

Making her way to his room, the door creaked as she opened it.

Mina slightly flinched and looked around the hall, hoping that she hadn't alerted anyone.

As she breathed a sigh of relief, Midoriya helped her in, guiding her to the small source of light within his room.

"Sorry about that, I've been meaning to get that fixed." Midoriya whispered.

"No problem." Mina said.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" Mina asked.

"Well, I was just wondering about… what we are." Midoriya answered.

"What do you mean?" Mina asked.

"I mean of course the rest of the girls seem to support us, which is nice, but we haven't really talked about what we are, relationship wise." Midoriya told her.

Mina looked at him curiously, not expecting him to be this forward.

_"This must be serious to him, but it's still too soon to make anything official." Mina thought._

_"He's sweet and I'm glad that we're becoming closer, but if I want this to last, I have to take things slowly." Mina thought._

"Midoriya, do you think that maybe we can just not label it for now?" Mina asked.

Midoriya looked surprised for a moment before closing his eyes and nodding yes in understanding.

Mina smiled and quickly thought of a way to change the topic as she noticed certain aspects of his room were no longer present.

"Hey, what happened to your All Might collection?" Mina asked him.

The room had definitely become more standard looking as most of the memorabilia was no longer on display, save for a couple of figurines and a lone poster on the wall.

"Oh, you know, less is more." Midoriya lied.

Mina saw right through it and raised an eyebrow, giving him a look of disbelief and doubt.

"Okay, it's just that… do you ever feel like as time goes on, people hold you to a different standard?" Midoriya asked.

"It just feels like the more hectic things get and the more I change, that I can't go back to the things I enjoy." Midoriya said.

"I used to treasure all of this All Might stuff, now, I still do, just not in the same way and the same goes for my hero analysis notebooks as well." Midoriya continued.

"It's like my love for the things that make me who I am is fading away." Midoriya admitted.

Mina listened on, both grateful and shocked that she was seeing this side of him.

He was comfortable enough to admit his troubles to her.

Mina rested her head on his shoulder.

"I'm not going to pretend that I have an answer, all that I want to say is that I hope that you find a way to hang on to that part of your life." Mina said.

"We already have enough angsty heroes around here, we don't need another one." Mina said, with a giggle.

"Thank you." Midoriya said.

Mina smiled and let out a yawn.

"It looks like I should turn in for the night." Mina said.

To Midoriya's surprise, Mina didn't leave the bed.

Mina laid down and rested her head on the pillow.

"What are you doing?" Midoriya questioned.

"Trying to sleep." Mina answered.

A couple seconds of awkward silence went by before Mina spoke up again.

"Stay with me." Mina said.

With those words said, Mina shut her eyes, hoping that she would have Midoriya by her side before she would drift off to sleep.

While initially awkward, Midoriya carefully made his way next to her.

Mina smiled and wrapped her arms around him to which Midoriya returned the gesture.

_"I've never had this happen before but even so, I never realized how much I've hated sleeping alone." Mina thought._

Something about the situation made them feel at peace.

Maybe it was the mutual understanding or maybe it was because they finally had a form of comfort.

No matter the reason, to the two of them, it was a time to be cherished.


	8. Not Okay

_Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia or any of the characters._

* * *

Midoriya was hesitant in leaving his bed that morning.

Smiling as he saw Mina still resting next to him, he kissed her on the forehead and quietly made his way to the door.

As he left his room and made his way down to the kitchen, each person he passed by had a knowing look on their face.

Sitting down for breakfast would be no different, as all of the girls crowded the table.

Midoriya looked up to see an array of smiles, some being mischievous while others were genuine.

"So… how did you sleep?" Toru asked.

Though he couldn't see it, Midoriya knew Hagakure was smirking and trying to mess with him.

_"I'm freaking out, but if Mina were in this situation, she would play it cool, but what would she say?" Midoriya pondered._

Midoriya hid his expression from the group for a moment, before looking up at them with an intense grin.

"Quite well actually, Mina's really comfortable." Midoriya said, managing to keep his expression without breaking down.

The girls were taken aback by his statement, not expecting it from him.

_"Not bad, I have to work on my one liners more often." Midoriya thought._

* * *

**Meanwhile.**

Mina was still asleep in Midoriya's room, only now, it was less than pleasant.

Mina was tossing and turning in her sleep, with the look on her face representing one of anguish.

"Get away from us." Mina whimpered out.

Mina's nightmare was one of turmoil, a little gift left over from their experiences with the league of villains.

"Midoriya." Mina said.

Midoriya disappeared before her very eyes, the league taking his place as he drifted into the shadows.

From there the nightmare was hectic, with only flashing images, but to Mina, they seemed to last much too long.

She couldn't stand to see Midoriya in pain and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

She was just an observer, no matter how much she wished that she wasn't.

The door to the bedroom creaked open as Midoriya walked in.

Midoriya took in the scene before him, stopping for a moment in shock.

Mina was wrapped in the blanket, with her left leg sticking out, looking like she was trying to fight her way out as she was struggling.

Midoriya moved forward, placing a hand on her shoulder to calm her down first.

"Mina, wake up." Midoriya whispered.

Mina stopped moving so frantically but was still sleeping with that look of pain on her face.

"Mina, please wake up." Midoriya said, his tone growing more worried like.

Mina's eyes suddenly opened as she jolted awake, looking around the room in a panic.

Her breathing became heavy and tears started to fall.

Midoriya was quick to try and comfort her, turning her to look towards him.

"Hey, it's okay, it's just me." Midoriya whispered.

Mina looked at him, still clearly traumatized.

Midoriya wrapped his arms around her and held her closer.

Midoriya could feel her body shaking and her heart pounding faster and faster.

Mina wrapped her arms around him, clinging on to him for dear life, at least in her eyes.

After awhile, Mina's breathing slowed back down, her panic dissipating.

Mina felt surprisingly tired and rested her head on Midoriya's shoulder.

"Are you okay?" Midoriya asked.

_"I don't know." Mina thought._

"I'm alright." She lied.

_"We don't need any more stress than we already do." Mina thought._

"It was just a bad dream." Mina said.

Midoriya pulled back a little to look at Mina and wipe away the tears from her eyes.

_"He's okay, everything is alright." Mina thought._

Mina knew that wasn't entirely true, but she needed to convince herself otherwise.

Mina broke the embrace that the two were in and got out of bed.

"Come on, let's go hang out with the others." Mina said.

One step and Mina winced in pain, covering her eyes with her hands.

"What's wrong?!" Midoriya said, in panic.

Mina brushed it off, leaving one hand resting against her forehead as she looked at him with a smile.

"Nothing, it's just a headache." Mina said.

Mina slowly dropped her other hand down and proceeded to walk out of the room, Midoriya following suit.

"I guess I'll just have to take things slowly today." Mina thought.

As they both entered the kitchen, which was now less crowded, Mina took an extra large bottle of water from the fridge and immediately started drinking it all down without stopping for a breath.

With the bottle nearly emptied, she stopped drinking, surprised to see the remaining students who were still there and Midoriya looking at her with curious expressions on their faces.

"What?" Mina asked.


	9. Overwhelmed and Paranoid

**We all have dark times, some longer than others. Somewhere down the line, we always find that bit of positivity, even if it is fleeting.**

_Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia or any of the characters._

* * *

Over the next few days, Mina would not fare so well in terms of keeping cool.

While she wasn't usually the best student among her peers, she still had obvious practical skills.

However, her performance in her classes had clearly diminished to the point that she had to sit them out after an incident with her acid quirk.

"I'm really sorry about what happened earlier, Tsu." Mina apologized.

"It's okay, you only got my costume, ribbit." Tsuyu said.

"Still, now you have to wait and get it repaired." Mina pointed out.

Mina stood there, awkwardly shifting around out of guilt.

"I don't really mind it." Tsuyu tried to assure her.

"What happened out there with you today?" Jiro asked.

"Yeah, you usually have way more control over your quirk." Hagakure pointed out.

Mina didn't have an excuse and as they awaited her answer, she suddenly felt anxious.

It was as if their presence was looming over her, intimidating her.

"I'm just having an off day, I have to go." Mina quickly blurted out.

Mina ran off, hanging her head down low to avoid anyone seeing her like this.

_"I just have to get back to my room." Mina thought._

With her goal clear in her mind, she ran as fast as she could to the dorms and made her way to her room.

She sat in front of her mirror, trying desperately to avoid breaking down, forcing herself not to cry.

_"You can't do this now, you can't act like this." Mina mentally tried to convince herself._

Mina always wanted to be a source of positivity, it was one of the reasons that she wanted to become a hero.

So when the emotional strain had started to become worse than ever, she resorted to putting on a brave face.

_"We've all been through the same things ever since we got here, Izuku says it's human to question this, but what right do I have to complain, just because I can barely handle it?" Mina questioned._

Mina's thoughts soon drifted to hearing the voices of her friends, clearly unamused by her feelings.

_"We've all had to endure this, Mina." Mina pictured Momo saying._

_"If you can't handle the pressure then why don't you just leave?" Mina imagined Kirishima telling her._

Her next thought finally caused her to let a few tears fall.

_"I'm tired of wasting my time on you, you're not worth saving." Mina pictured Midoriya saying those words._

She knew they would never treat her this way or even remotely think this way either.

But her doubt was clearly growing and getting worse by the minute.

Clutching her chest, she could feel that her heartbeat was normal, but for some reason in her mind it like it was racing.

She wanted so desperately to scream or cry out but nothing came.

"I need to get out of here." Mina uttered.

Mina changed out of her uniform and into her regular clothes.

As she made her way out, the rest of her classmates were returning.

"Mina, what's up?" Kirishima asked.

Mina didn't answer, passing them by at a quick pace.

"Mina, where are you going?" Midoriya questioned.

Still no answer.

Sensing that something was wrong, Midoriya ran towards her, only to be stopped as acid splashed down to the ground, a mere foot away from him.

"Just leave me alone." Mina said.

As Mina ran off, Midoriya cringed at the mention of that word.

_"Alone." Midoriya thought._

* * *

**Later.**

It was early in the afternoon as Mina walked through the city, not sure on where to go or what to do, but at the same time, not really caring about either.

Despite the heavy rain that had been pouring lately, the sun was surprisingly out that day, save for some clouds blocking it every now and again.

Mina headed down to Kiyashi Ward, not really having much to spend but still wanting to look around.

As she entered, most people glanced over at her.

_"They must still remember me from the sports festival." Mina thought._

Some people smiled at her, others just kept a blank expression on their faces, causing Mina to question whether not they were thinking positively of her.

She could see people looking at her, feeling that they were judging her despite not even knowing her.

_"It's alright, just keep walking and try not to make eye contact." Mina tried to reassure herself._

Mina walked to the food court first, grabbing a soda to try and calm her nerves.

Mina glanced at the people around her, thankful that most of them were distracted by something or were just on their phones.

_"Alright, I'll just spend a couple of hours here, hopefully nothing happens and then I'll just head back to the dorms." Mina thought._

Unknown to her, time would get away from her.

* * *

**Meanwhile.**

Ashido had left school grounds without permission or at least someone to watch over her, resulting in Aizawa and Midnight debating on what to do.

"The girl is clearly traumatized, she needs guidance from us." Midnight said.

"Our instructions were clear and to be followed, not be an option." Aizawa stated.

"Maybe, but you said yourself that everyone in your class had potential, she doesn't want to squander that away, we both know that, otherwise you wouldn't have let her stay." Midnight reminded him.

Aizawa didn't speak, letting her continue on.

"True, it is unprofessional, but so were we, some of us still are, Mr. sleeping bag." Midnight pointed out.

Aizawa glared at her remark but Midnight didn't flinch.

"The point is, she's only human, even though we're training them to be more, when you get down to it, that's all we are." Midnight said.

"So, what do you suggest we do?" Aizawa asked.

"Let me handle it, she needs someone who can understand and right now, I'm one of the only two people who can do that." Midnight told him.

"Two?" Aizawa asked.

"The other would be me." Midoriya spoke up.

Midnight and Aizawa looked over in surprise, shocked that they hadn't detected him.

"I came to tell you about Mina, but I see you already know." Midoriya said.

"Yes, we were just discussing what to do." Aizawa said.

"Midnight." Midoriya said.

Midnight looked into his eyes, seeing determination and devotion.

"What did you have in mind?" Midoriya asked.


	10. The Search

**I hope that everyone is doing well at this time.**

_Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia or any of the characters._

* * *

_"What happened?" Mina thought._

As if her awareness had suddenly increased, Mina realized where she was.

Mina was wandering aimlessly around the city, only now with no direction and no sunlight.

_"When did it get dark?" Mina wondered._

It was now night and instead of sunlight, the blinding lights of buildings illuminated the area, effectively disorienting Mina.

_"What's going on?" Mina thought._

_"I've lived here for so long, I've seen it so many times, why do I feel so overwhelmed now?" Mina thought._

Not wanting to wait around and figure it out, Mina's body moved on it's own, trying to find a familiar area in order to make it to some form of shelter from there.

* * *

**Meanwhile.**

Midoriya and Midnight had left hours earlier, going on a search for Mina.

They managed to have no luck throughout the day and as night fell upon the city, it would only get more difficult.

Midoriya picked up his phone, seeing that it was Midnight calling him again.

"Do you have an sign of her?" Midnight asked.

"No, I haven't found her yet, I've asked around but no one had seen her." Midoriya told her.

"If you wish to head back to the dorms you can, you've been out here for hours and I can always get Aizawa to help me search for her." Midnight offered.

Midoriya gripped the phone a little tighter in his hands and uttered one word.

"Kayama." Midoriya said.

Midnight was taken aback by this, never having heard Midoriya address her by anything other than her hero name.

"You've known me for awhile, you know what I've done for the people I care about and what lengths I've gone to elsewhere, do you really think that I'll walk away?" Midoriya questioned.

Midnight didn't respond for a moment, simply staring off at the distance before forming a smirk on her face.

"Not for a moment." Midnight responded.

"We'll find her." Midoriya said, with a smile.

* * *

**Back at the dorms.**

"Mina still isn't back yet." Hagakure said.

"I know, it's starting to worry me, Deku has been out searching for hours." Ochaco said.

"We just have to be patient, I'm positive that once we get a good rest, we'll wake up in the morning and the two of them will be here, safe and sound." Momo tried to reassure everyone.

_"I hope that she's right." Everyone else simultaneously thought._

* * *

**Later.**

More hours had passed by and the search had become tiring.

Midnight was staring at the time on her phone.

_"Midnight, how appropriate." Midnight joked._

Midnight had contemplated bringing in help, but felt that it would go better if it was just the two of them who found her.

Midnight had no idea what Mina's reaction would be and wanted to avoid negatively effecting her any further.

It was a judgement call, one where she didn't know whether or not that it had been right.

That was when the call came through.

Another call from Midoriya, which she immediately answered.

"Hello." Midnight said.

"I found her." Midoriya said.

* * *

**A few minutes earlier.**

Midoriya had searched high and low for Mina, trying so desperately to stay awake as he trudged on.

_"Come on, I have to find her." Midoriya thought, as he struggled to keep his eyes open._

"Look at this guy." A guy walking by him remarked.

"Yeah, he looks as disoriented as that pink girl?" A woman next to him said.

This statement immediately jolted Midoriya awake.

"Wait, did you say pink girl?!" Midoriya asked.

"Yeah, she was wandering around a few blocks from here." The woman told him, as she pointed the direction out to him.

"Thank you!" Midoriya said.

Midoriya took off running, using his quirk to increase his speed.

Sure enough, there she was, wandering around, looking terrified.

"Mina!" Midoriya called out to her.

Mina turned to look, gasping in shock at Midoriya's sudden presence.

Breaking into tears, she ran to him and embraced him, with Midoriya returning the gesture.

"I'm so scared." Mina said, breathing heavily with each word said.

"It's alright, let's just head back to the dorms." Midoriya said.

"No!" Mina blurted out.

Both Mina and Midoriya were surprised by this sudden outburst.

As a result of this, Mina hugged Midoriya tighter, trying to find further comfort.

"I just don't want to go back, not yet." Mina said.

Midoriya didn't want to push the issue yet, even though he knew it had to be addressed at some point or another.

"Okay, then let's get you home." Midoriya said.

"Home?" Mina asked.

From there, exhaustion took over, causing Mina to fall asleep in his arms.

Midoriya smiled and picked up his phone to call Midnight.

"Hello." Midnight answered.

"I found her." Midoriya said.

"Really?!" Midnight exclaimed.

"That's great, are you on your way back to the dorms now?" Midnight asked.

"Actually, there's a slight issue with that at the moment." Midoriya said.

Midoriya then went on to tell Midnight about Mina's reaction and his idea for the night.

"A bold move on your part, you continue to surprise me." Midnight remarked.

"It's what I do best." Midoriya said.

"I'll inform the staff of your whereabouts and that you'll return tomorrow evening." Midnight assured him.

"Thank you, Midnight." Midoriya said.

With that, the two of them hung up and Midoriya set out for his destination.

It didn't take long to arrive, as Midoriya knew the way there by heart.

Midoriya looked down at Mina, seeing her resting with pain in her expression.

"Don't worry, it's alright, everything will be fine because… I am here." Midoriya whispered.

Midoriya's words seemed to calm her down as her expression changed to a more peaceful one.

As Midoriya approached the door and knocked on it, he wondered how he would explain this situation.

_"Hopefully she doesn't freak out, I would hate for Mina to wake up after all of this." Midoriya thought._

Hearing the locks on the door being undone, Midoriya mentally prepared himself for what was to come.

The door slowly opening, revealing a woman who was shorter than him and who's shade of hair matched his own.

Inko Midoriya.

"Izuku?" Inko said.

Inko stood there, surprised by Izuku's out of nowhere visit and even more surprised by the fact that he had a girl who was resting in his arms.

"Hi, mom." Midoriya said.


	11. A Long Day

_Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia or any of the characters._

* * *

Mina slowly awoke, hearing the faint sound of voices as she opened her eyes.

It took a moment but as Mina sat up, she realized that she wasn't in her room back at the dorms.

"What?" Mina whispered, still sounding drowsy.

As Mina struggled to remember how she had gotten there, she could hear the voices growing louder and footsteps along with them.

_"Izuku?" Mina thought, as she recognized his voice._

The door opened, revealing Izuku who was holding a tray of food.

"Oh, good, you're up, I was worrying about you all night." Izuku said, with relief in his tone.

"All night?" Mina questioned.

That's when the memories of the previous night came rushing back in her mind.

Mina covered her face with her hands, embarrassed by her behavior.

"Remind me to never show my face in public again." Mina said.

"Come on, it wasn't that bad." Izuku tried to reassure her.

Izuku sat down next to her and put his arm around her, placing his hand on her shoulder to comfort her.

"Is she okay?" Inko asked.

Mina looked up to see a woman standing in the doorway, smiling at both of them.

"I think she'll be fine, she just needs a little time." Izuku said.

Izuku noticed the expression on Mina's face and decided to remedy the situation.

"Sorry, I should've said something, Mina, I'd like for you to meet my mother." Izuku introduced Mina to Inko.

"It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Midoriya." Mina said.

"It's nice to meet you too and please, call me Inko." Inko told her.

"Sure, Inko, I'm sorry we had to meet like this." Mina apologized.

"Don't apologize dear, it isn't your fault." Inko said.

"I'm just relieved that Izuku was able to help you, I haven't had the chance to meet any of his friends but it's good to know how much he cares for you." Inko told her.

Mina couldn't help but feel a little better from Inko's kindness, though upon further thinking, she noticed something Inko had said.

Mina turned to look at Izuku, smirking as she did so.

"Friend?" Mina questioned.

"I may have left out a few details." Izuku said, while trying to hide his blush.

"Details?" Inko asked.

Izuku stood up and looked at his mother, nervous as ever.

"We haven't exactly put a label on it but, Mina and I aren't just friends." Midoriya blurted out.

With that statement made, Inko stood still for a moment with a shocked expression on her face.

"Mrs. Midoriya?" Mina asked, in worry.

A second later, Inko fainted.

Mina winced as Izuku caught her before she could fall to the floor.

_"That could've gone better." Mina thought._

_"Well, it could've gone worse." Izuku thought._

A couple of hours had passed but eventually, Inko regained consciousness.

After Inko woke up, narrowly avoiding passing out again as she saw Mina, she managed to pull herself together, still letting the tears start pouring.

"I'm sorry, I meant to tell you sooner, I just wanted it to be under better circumstances." Izuku explained.

"I know, it's just all so sudden." Inko said.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Midoriya, I should've been more careful." Mina apologized.

"No, it's alright, I just never would've expected this from Izuku, how did all of this happen?" Inko asked.

From there, Izuku and Mina told their story to Inko, leaving out a few of the more intimate details to avoid her from breaking down again.

Inko didn't say a word, instead, she nodded her head in approval and hugged Mina.

Izuku sighed in relief, thankful that she had been so understanding.

* * *

**Later.**

Mina and Izuku had returned to his room, sitting across from each other, looking right at each other.

"So, I take it that we have to go back?" Mina asked.

"Yeah." Izuku answered.

Mina sighed, resting her head against the pillow on the bed.

"I'm sorry, I had Midnight tell them that we'd return by this evening, we have to leave soon if we want to make it." Izuku informed her.

Mina didn't answer, instead turning to look away.

Izuku sighed, leaning down to kiss her on the cheek.

"I have to go back, but I don't want to leave you." Izuku whispered.

"I know." Mina whispered.

Mina turned her gaze to him, seeing his face with a sad smile on it.

Mina slowly leaned in and kissed him, both of them slowly shutting their eyes as their lips met.

Mina was the one to break the kiss, pulling him in next to her, resting against him.

"Just give me a few more minutes alone with you." Mina whispered.

Izuku put his arms around her, holding her close.

"Okay." Izuku answered.

* * *

**That evening.**

The hero course classmates were anxiously awaiting the return of their friends.

"I hope that Mina is alright, she didn't seem like herself the last time we saw her." Hagakure said.

"They'll be here soon… I just know it." Momo said, with clear worry in her voice.

Midnight made her way in, alerting everyone to her presence.

"They haven't returned yet, have they?" Midnight asked.

"Not yet." Tsuyu said.

"It's going to be dark out in a few minutes, shouldn't we be out looking for them?" Sero asked.

"Midoriya said that they would return, I trust that he will keep his word to me." Midnight told them.

"I have." Izuku said.

Everyone turned their gazes to the front door, seeing Izuku standing there with Mina right behind him.

Their friends quickly crowded around them, thankful that they had returned safe and sound.

Mina remained close to Midoriya, holding onto him and not wanting to let go.

Midnight noticed this and quickly acted.

"Okay, everyone, they've clearly had a long day, leave them be for now, you'll have plenty of time to talk tomorrow." Midnight told them.

As Izuku and Mina started walking away, they thanked Midnight and made their way to Mina's room.

"Are you going to be okay?" Izuku asked.

"Yeah, if I need you, I'll know where you are." Mina said.

"Alright, goodnight Mina." Izuku said.

"Goodnight." Mina said.

As Izuku walked away, Mina entered her dorm room, shut off the lights and crawled into bed.

_"I don't want to sleep, but I don't want to stay awake either." Mina thought._


	12. Decide

**Thank you to all of you for your continued support. I was thinking of adding a background pairing, so if anyone has a preference, feel free to review and let me know. Once again, I hope that everyone is doing alright and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

_Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia or any of the characters._

* * *

Whether or not it was for her benefit, Mina had managed to fall asleep in her dorm bedroom.

As she woke up, she was curious about if she had reacted similarly to when she had her nightmares from before.

_"Well, Izuku isn't here, so it's hard to tell." Mina thought, as she looked around the room._

Mina looked at her clock, seeing that it was still morning.

_"Maybe someone heard me, I'll ask around, I can probably get some answers then." Mina thought._

Mina quickly changed into her uniform, thinking about what her day would have in store for her.

She was simultaneously dreading and looking forward to class.

As Mina was about to leave there was a knock at her door.

Opening it up, she was relieved to see Izuku standing there with his signature smile.

"Hey, are you ready to get to class?" Mina asked, while trying to sound enthusiastic.

"Not today." Izuku answered.

Mina was taken aback by his response, confused as to what he meant by it.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Mina asked.

"We're not going to class today, we've been excused, in order to have a meeting with Midnight." Izuku explained.

Mina stepped back a bit, knowing where this was going.

"She just wants to discuss what happened over those couple of days." Izuku told her.

Mina hesitantly complied, feeling like there was no point in refusing.

Midoriya walked alongside Mina as they headed towards Midnight's office.

"Why do I get the feeling that this isn't going to go well?" Midoriya asked himself.

"Because it probably won't." Mina said.

Midoriya looked at her, in surprise.

"You still say most of your thoughts out loud, you should really get that under control." Mina told him.

Midoriya sighed, knowing that she was right.

"Trust me, taking on villains is easier than shaking off that habit." Midoriya said.

"Oh, I don't know, with the right motivation, you'd be surprised with what you could accomplish." Midnight said.

The two looked over to see Midnight who was standing by the doorway to her office.

Midnight smirked and motioned for them to enter her office.

As they entered, they took a seat, awaiting what Midnight had to say to them.

"As both of you know, Ashido's recent behavior has been worrisome." Midnight said, trying to put the issue as lightly as she could.

"While none of us here hold it against you, we are concerned about your well being as well as what this means for later down the road." Midnight said.

"What do you mean by that?" Mina asked.

"The life of hero is full of pressure like this and at times it's even more intense, so it calls your standing into question." Midnight explained.

Midnight walked towards Mina, crouching down to look her in the eye.

"Mina… do you still wish to be a hero?" Midnight asked.

* * *

**Later.**

Mina and Midoriya had returned to the dorms hours earlier, only to sit there in complete silence for the entire time.

While Midoriya remained silent out of respect for Mina, Mina remained silent from contemplating Midnight's words, continuously questioning both Midnight and herself as she did so.

_"How could she even say that?" Mina wondered._

_"To be fair, I haven't exactly been performing at my best for a while." Mina countered._

_"But everyone has their off days and this pressure isn't exactly normal, even for heroes in training." Mina thought._

To have her integrity and drive called into question was both insulting and a wake up call to Mina.

She had her reasons for being a hero, the real question would be whether or not that would be enough.

As Mina mentally debated with herself back and forth, her thoughts were broken by her returning classmates.

Hagakure immediately approached Mina, pulling her in for a hug.

"Alright, I want details, what happened with you the other day?" Hagakure asked.

"I was just having a rough day, it's no big deal." Mina tried to convince her friend.

None of them bought it, but the look on Midoriya's face gave them the indication not to pry any further, at least for the time being.

"You do know that we're here for you if you need us, right?" Hagakure asked.

"I can't burden them with this, they're under enough pressure as it is." Mina thought.

"Yeah, of course." Mina answered.

"I think I'm just gonna take a quick nap, I'll see you guys at dinner." Mina told them.

As Mina walked away, Midoriya turned to look at his friends, who had all of their gazes set on him.

"Spill." Hagakure uttered.

"To put it simply, the trauma is starting to catch up with her and her confidence is shaken." Midoriya summed it up.

Unbeknownst to them, Mina hadn't returned to her room, opting to stay close by out of their line of sight and listen in on their conversation.

_"They don't think badly of how I feel, but I need to know for sure." Mina thought._

* * *

**Meanwhile.**

Midnight was looking over Mina's files, laughing to herself as she remembered her hero name.

"Maybe I should've let her go with Alien Queen, it wasn't so bad." Midnight said.

Aizawa just grumbled, clearly not amused.

"What are you going to do about her?" Aizawa asked.

"It's a group decision, but I'm going to try and help her as best as I can." Midnight said.

"Well then, I hope she can pull herself together before it's too late." Aizawa said.

"I'm surprised, I didn't think you'd show such lenience." Midnight said.

"If I didn't think any of them had potential then none of them would be here right now, they've proved themselves to be competent time and time again." Aizawa told her.

Midnight looked at him, a small smile slowly forming on her face as she did.

"She still should be held accountable for her behavior, but I commend her for managing to remain positive for this long." Aizawa said.

_"As do I." Midnight thought._


	13. The Truth

**Back again, with a brand new chapter. Let's try to get some answers to a few issues. As always, I hope that you enjoy.**

_Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia or any of the characters._

* * *

Mina anxiously awaited her classmates responses as Midoriya finished explaining her situation.

Mina had been expecting support but also feared the worst.

Much to her surprise, as well as everyone else's, Bakugo was the first to speak up in her defense.

"As much as I hate to admit it, she's not weak for thinking that way." Bakugo said.

It was kind of backhanded, but coming from Bakugo she had expected much worse.

"Mina needs our help more than ever, we have to be there for her right now." Toru proclaimed.

A sad smile made it's way to Mina's face, thankful that her friends were so caring, but at the same time, unable to focus on anything else aside from those two last words that Toru had said.

_"Right now." Mina thought._

Sighing, Mina retreated to her room, thinking over what was to come.

* * *

**A few days later.**

Mina had been called to the conference room in order to discuss her recent behavior.

She had been informed that she would be receiving a form of punishment due to her actions.

At first, she immediately assumed that she would be expelled due to her inability to follow the guidelines, however, Midnight had assured her that this would not be the case.

As Mina walked into the room, she was met with the gazes of the staff.

"Miss Ashido, please, have a seat." Nezu said.

Mina complied, nervous as to what she would be facing.

"Now, Miss Ashido, in light of recent events, we have agreed to show leniency towards you." Nezu stated.

"However, we informed you before you moved into the dorms that the rules were meant to be followed and to act as a model student." Nezu reminded her.

"We are aware of your current problems regarding your emotional state, so we have no choice but to suspend you from hero activities for one month, in which time your provisional license will be locked away, you will be confined to the dorms and you will attend counseling sessions with Midnight." Nezu informed her.

"Is this understood?" Nezu asked.

Mina sadly nodded, pulled out her license and placed it on the table.

"I am very sorry, Miss Ashido." Nezu said.

Mina looked up and turned her glance to Midnight, who stared back at her with a sad expression.

"So am I." Mina said.

With that, Mina walked back to the dorms, taking her time as she knew that's where she would be spending most of her time for awhile.

As she opened the front doors, she looked inside, finding only Midoriya sitting on the couch.

Mina walked closer, seeing that Midoriya was sleeping.

_"I guess I took too long, he shouldn't have waited for me." Mina thought._

Mina sat down next to him and scooted closer, finding comfort as she rested her head against his chest.

"I kind of wish that you would fight Bakugo again, that way you'd at least be trapped in here with me." Mina whispered.

* * *

**Later.**

To avoid any teasing, Mina woke Midoriya up as more people arrived.

She suggested that they go to her room, to which Midoriya agreed.

As they sat down on Mina's bed, Mina informed Midoriya of her current standing with the staff and her punishment.

"My guess is that they're only trying to keep you away from the field in order for you to find some clarity." Midoriya said.

"Yeah, but it's still not cool." Mina complained.

Midoriya smiled, seeing a bit of Mina's personality shine through with her words.

"Midoriya… can I ask you something?" Mina asked.

"Sure." Midoriya said.

As Midoriya awaited her question, she looked at him with intensity in her eyes.

"Will you be here?" Mina asked.

Midoriya looked at her confusion, not fully understanding what she meant.

Mina, noticing his expression, reworded her question.

"If I don't make it through this, if I have another breakdown, will you be here for me?" Mina asked.

Midoriya immediately took action as Mina started to let tears fall, holding her close to comfort her.

"Of course I will." Midoriya answered.

_"He means it, but for how long?" Mina wondered._

"Mina, what is this about?" Midoriya asked.

Mina took a breath and wiped away a few tears before answering.

"It's just getting harder to trust." Mina said.

"Everyone has had each other's backs from the beginning, but then I think about the future." Mina said.

"I've always wanted to bring more people together, that's why I used dancing to help people with their problems." Mina said.

"I hear everyone talking and after all we've been through, I want to believe that they'll be there for me just like we're they're for each other and the people when they need someone." Mina told him.

"But there's always that looming thought that eventually, we're all going to be put into a position where we have to oppose each other, where it'll be everyone for themselves when we receive our hero rankings." Mina said.

Midoriya sighed, knowing exactly what she meant.

"Mina, I've always wanted to be a hero." Midoriya stated.

"We all are striving to become heroes and to some of us, the top spot is our ultimate goal." Midoriya said.

"However, i don't care about ranks when it comes to you, saving you is more important and if I ever had to give up that top spot for your sake, I would." Midoriya vowed.

Mina was taken aback, stunned by his loyalty and promise.

"I know that right now words aren't exactly enough, actions do speak louder, but just know, that they're true." Midoriya told her.

Midoriya leaned in close, capturing her lips with his own.

Mina would place her trust in him, hoping that he would never turn his back on her.


	14. Just For Today

**Welcome back. This is just a short, little chapter I wanted to do before the final one. I hope that you enjoy.**

_Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia or any of the characters._

* * *

Days had gone by, with Mina becoming used to her routine as time went on.

Her activities were limited and she was spending much more time in her room, more than she ever had before.

Despite this, she wasn't as bored as she thought she would be, thanks to Midoriya spending all of his free time with her.

It was morning again and Midoriya was resting by Mina's side.

Mina began to smile more, not as much as she used to, but she was slowly becoming more like her older self.

As Midoriya woke up, Mina moved closer towards him.

"Good morning." Mina said, sleepily.

"Good morning." Midoriya said.

Midoriya kissed her forehead and looked into her eyes.

"Remind me again, how did someone so beautiful end up with me?" Midoriya asked.

"Because when you say that I'm beautiful, I know that you mean it." Mina said.

"That's true." Midoriya said.

"So, what's on the agenda for you, today?" Mina asked.

"Do you plan on taking on a notorious super villain again or do you just plan on rescuing damsels in distress from danger?" Mina asked, effectively teasing him.

Midoriya rolled his eyes, still smirking since he liked seeing her this way.

_"I can't believe it, but I actually missed her being this snarky." Midoriya thought._

"Neither, I thought that I would just spend the day in here, with you." Midoriya told her.

"Don't you have classes to attend?" Mina asked.

"I told them that I would be helping you." Midoriya said.

Midoriya leaned in and kissed her, with his emotions growing high.

Mina broke the kiss as she was reminded of something.

"I still have to leave for my counseling session with Midnight." Mina said.

"Don't worry, I'll join you." Midoriya said.

Midoriya got out of the bed and turned on the radio.

Mina recognized the song and chuckled as Midoriya tried to move in rhythm with it.

"Would you care to dance?" Midoriya asked.

Mina laughed and got out of bed.

"I didn't expect this when I woke up this morning." Mina said.

"It's been a tough time for you lately, I'm gonna make sure that I'll do whatever it takes to keep you smiling." Midoriya said.

"Just for today, let's forget about everything around us and what is to come." Midoriya said.

"Just for today, let's focus on the positive." Midoriya said.

Mina happily sighed as she pulled him closer.

_"Just for today." Mina thought._


	15. The Days Ahead

**Thank you to everyone who read this story and to everyone who showed their support, it's been a great time and I loved writing this. I hope you enjoy.**

_Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia or any of the characters._

* * *

Midoriya had been true to his word and Mina couldn't have been happier about it than she already was.

Time and time again, Midoriya would prove himself to be loyal and caring to her, even in the most difficult of times.

Whether it was defending her from villains, comforting her in her times of panic or just the little things like running out and getting her food in the middle of the night, he would always be there.

After Mina had returned to class and continued her counseling sessions with Midnight, it seemed that things had started to look up again.

Mina had looked to Midnight as a sort of guide and she even managed to get relationship advice from her which helped her greatly, much to the surprise of everyone else, even Midoriya.

As time went by, the severity of Mina's anxiety had lessened and while she still struggled, Midoriya was never that far behind, always at the ready to help her.

_"No more neglect." Mina thought._

Mina eagerly waited for Midoriya, as she stood by the front gates of the school.

The sun shined down, causing Mina to smile.

"The perfect day, for a perfect date." Mina said.

"I couldn't have said it better myself." Midoriya said.

Midoriya walked up to her and wrapped his arm around her, leaning in to kiss her.

"Your kisses are always nice, but I'm not going to lie, I kind of miss when you would get all nervous from affection." Mina admitted.

Midoriya smirked as he got an idea.

Midoriya stood there, unmoving even slightly.

Mina just rolled her eyes, as she remembered how this whole thing had started.

"What, are you going to eat a cake for lunch too?" Mina asked.

Midoriya started moving again and looked at her, with a smile.

"Only if you'll kiss the frosting off of my cheek again." Midoriya said.

Mina blushed as she remembered that little stunt she had pulled back then.

"Well played." Mina said.

"I learned from the best." Midoriya said.

Mina kissed his cheek and held him closer.

"I love you." Mina said.

"I love you too." Midoriya said.

"You do know that the two of you haven't left yet, right?" Tsuyu said.

The two of them looked over and realized that the rest of their classmates were standing there, watching the two of them.

"Way to ruin the moment!" Mina exclaimed, while comically pouting.

Midoriya simply laughed, as he always enjoyed these moments.

With Mina by his side, he had a feeling that there would be plenty more of these moments to come.

* * *

**Once again, thank you for reading. If you liked it, please check out my other stories.**

**I hope that all of you are doing well and that you'll have a great day.**


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